In a message to Kent County commissioners, county administrator Daryl Delabbio said the county "will not be able to sustain funding for longer than 30 to 60 days without considering other options.

"If a shutdown occurs and continues for any length of time, we will be forced to revisit this issue."

He added: "It is truly unfortunate that the leadership and resolve that Michigan citizens deserve is not readily apparent in Lansing.

For cities, the gasoline and weight tax check is the most obvious and immediate impact, Heartwell said.

"I think it would mean that projects under way would be stopped immediately," he said. "We'll pull contractors off the jobs."

Beyond that, City Manager Kurt Kimball said city government would not take a direct hit until late October, when a $2.2 million check is due to arrive.

Without it, the city would be forced to decide between laying off some employees or dipping into its dwindling cash reserves, Heartwell said.

"For the state to put is in that kind of position, I think, is absolutely unacceptable," he said.

There's another hidden cost: Nearly 2,000 state employees live in Grand Rapids, with a total annual payroll of about $100 million, Heartwell said. If that payroll is missed, those are revenues not coming into Grand Rapids, not being spent in grocery stores and gas stations.

"The Legislature has put us in this position because they can't talk to each other," he said. "We need statesmen and stateswomen to step forward and put an end to this craziness."